Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
art journal blog

Get Messy is an online art journaling school that teaches you to cultivate your creativity. Without perfection.
Blog Categories
Ep 017: Enjoy the process
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
Ep 016: You just have to trust in your creative intuition
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
Ep 015: You’re not going to be the best until you’re the worst first
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
Ep 013: Everyone is a beginner
Misty chats with Divyam about the creative process.
Ep 012: You don’t really make it your own until you start doing it for yourself
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
Ep 010: Whatever Happens, Happens
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
Ep 007: Your bad art only makes you better
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a top...
Ep 006: Starting is all that matters
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
Ep 005: Art Journaling as a way of documenting life
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
Ep 003: Think about the world in a slightly different way
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
Ep 002: Pretty is nice but true is better
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
How Lauren and Caylee Built a Business Out of Creative Habit
Artist SpotlightHi friends!! Welcome to the first Member Spotlight of 2016! We thought we would kick off this year with sharing some of our own experiences with art journaling to introduce ourselves to you a bit more. We try to feature the amazing...
How Sasha Zinevych uses community to make her a better artist
Artist SpotlightSasha is a Ukrainian girl living in Poland. She grew up in a very artistic family of photographers and actors, so she cannot imagine her life without that creative sparkle lightening up her days. She is into creative memory keeping,...
Jenna Ledford Uses Art to Drown Out the Self-Doubt
Artist SpotlightAKA Ginnis Tonik on certain parts of the Internet Educator. Feminist. Creator. Activist. Writer. New Mama to William, not so new mama to four furbabiesHow do you live a creative life? By being a part of Get Messy, duh! I regularly...
Alyssa Rothwell Keeps Creativity Alive by Making a Little Art Each Day
Artist SpotlightLiving in Canada, with a BA in visual arts, Alyssa is a maker and lover of all things handmade. For Alyssa, embracing imperfections and chasing after “happy accidents” is the true magic of art journaling. Anything goes within the pages...
How Ali Brown discovers herself through art journaling
Artist SpotlightAli Brown is a wife, mother, teacher, intercessor, singer, musician, photographer, filmographer and artist. She is a life scribe who has kept a journal for as long as she can remember. Ali’s passion is to encourage people to see the...
How Kellee Wynne views the creative life as a magical life
Artist SpotlightKellee Wynne Conrad is the creator of Color Crush Creative, a thriving, internationally followed Instagram community of color loving artists and the online membership program, True Colors. It is through this program that she has been...
How art journaling saved Debbie Bamberger
Artist SpotlightDebbie Bamberger is a nurse practitioner in California. She has been caring for women and providing sexual and reproductive health care for over 25 years, hence her obsession with all things vaginal. She lives with her husband and two...
How art journaling helps Julie Marriott feel free
Artist SpotlightJulie Marriott is a painter, pattern designer, wife and mom from San Diego, California. She’s passionate about creating bold and joyful artwork for the color-loving soul. In between creating her colorful paintings, Julie loves to...
How Merel Djamila uses heart and humility to be a better artist
Artist SpotlightMerel is a twenty-year-old creative self-taught journal artist. Although she’s still a graphic design student, she devotes all of her free time to art journaling and writing.Why do you love creating? I love creating because it’s my way...
How Amy Tan Abandons Expectations and Creates Her Own Magic
Artist SpotlightAmy is the Founder of Amy Tangerine, a creative lifestyle company that creates online content as well as fun, tangible products like tee shirts and craft supplies. Amy wrote the book, Craft a Life You Love, has taught workshops all...
How Koosje Koene Follows Her Passion to Draw Every Day
Artist SpotlightSketchbook Skool was founded by Danny Gregory (New York) and Koosje Koene (Amsterdam). Danny Gregory taught himself to draw in his mid-thirties, after a tragic accident changed his life. Drawing brought him peace and joy and a new...
Ep 011: Just start
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
Danny Gregory Removes the Intimidation Around Art One Step at a Time
Artist SpotlightSketchbook Skool was founded by Danny Gregory (New York) and Koosje Koene (Amsterdam). Danny Gregory taught himself to draw in his mid-thirties, after a tragic accident changed his life. Drawing brought him peace and joy and a new...
How Amanda Hobbs Finds Comfort Through Art
Artist SpotlightAmanda is a paper huntress-gatherer-weaver, residing near Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. She works under the name Mixed Matter Collage, exploring inner landscapes as a mindful practice towards her mental well being. Amanda believes...
Ep 009: Commit to the Garbage
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a...
How Kiala Givehand is Leaving a Legacy with Her Art
Artist SpotlightWe are so excited for you to get to know our first guest artist of 2018 properly. Be sure to welcome her with kindness in the comments. When we planned the Season of Kindness we knew that Kiala Givehand would be the perfect match for...
How Lina (aka A girl with a journal) uses art to express herself
Artist SpotlightLina is a dreamy nineteen year old girl from Germany. She has loved journaling since she was little. Her favourite things to use are watercolours and ink sprays and she also believes in the power of words and writing. It’s important to...
How art journaling quite literally changed Gilly Welch’s life
Artist SpotlightGilly is an avid paper lover and creates in some form every single day. She lives on the north coast of Cornwall (UK) regularly walking the coastal path for inspiration. She is constantly learning new skills and loves nothing better...
How Making Art Keeps the Magic Alive for Brandi Kincaid
Artist SpotlightBrandi is an illustrator and paper crafter who makes and records memories with her husband in Bellingham, Washington, a far cry from her home state of Georgia. She spends all her free moments playing with paper and glue, and drawing a...
How Olivia became a hybrid artist by implementing simple steps
Artist SpotlightOlivia is a brush lettering artist who shares her colorful lettering all over the internet. Her obsession with lettering has turned into the creation of printable, traceable, practice pages to help other people practice their way to...
How discovering art journaling helped TC Larson work through her grief
Artist SpotlightTC is in her early 40s and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her favorite part of art journaling is following a feeling or idea and seeing where it leads on a page. The worst part of art journaling for TC is getting to a point when she’s...
Katie Licht has used art journaling all her life for self reflection
Artist SpotlightKatie Licht is a homemaker, mother of two, and graphic designer/artist. Her inspirations are nature, children, her spiritual life, and library books. She has been making collages for over 20 years.Why do you love art journaling? I’ve...
Amy Maricle views art journaling as an extension of herself
Artist SpotlightThis season’s guest artist, Amy Maricle, is sharing all her insights and love for art journaling with us in her interview today. Grab a cup of tea and enjoy getting to know the lovely Amy Miracle better! Amy Maricle is an artist, art...
How Moriah Costa uses art journaling to express herself
Artist SpotlightMoriah is an American transplant living in Madrid, Spain. Her favourite part of art journaling is being able to experiment with different techniques and styles and not having to care about making mistakes or if it doesn’t look good....
How Pam Garrison uses art journaling as her personal playground
Artist SpotlightPam Garrison is an artist passionate about the pursuit of creativity. She can be found art journaling, painting, lettering, doodling or practicing some creative form on the daily. When she’s not at home in Southern California with her...
How Tiffany Meduna plans out time to make art
Artist SpotlightTiffany is an artist of many trades living in New York City with an absolute passion for documenting her everyday life. A traveller to the core, she loves documenting her various journeys around the world in thick handmade travel...
Ep 008: If you really want to inspire yourself, don’t be on Pinterest
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a top...
How Art Journaling Frees Karen Gaunt to Just Create
Artist SpotlightKaren is an Artist. She arts like a boss and believes that you should too. Karen loves Poppies, triangles, colour and hand lettering. She’s all about the process and loves to complete pages that take days to make and ones that take...
How Torrie Gass’ belief that all humans are creative leads her to practice art every day
Artist SpotlightTorrie’s deep belief is that every human on this planet is creative in their soul. We were made to design, create, paint, play, imagine and share our inner artist with the world. It’s just a matter of letting ourselves tap into that...
How art journaling gives Tanyalee Kahler the confidence to create without judgment
Artist SpotlightTanyalee is a mum to three grown up kids, a wife to her childhood sweetheart, a full time graphic designer and a part time crafter/art journaler. She loves growing veggies to feed her family, she loves raising her fur babies (cats,...
How removing expectations keeps Anika Lacerte inspired
Artist SpotlightAnika likes art journaling, scrapbooking, photography and DIY projects. She is an introvert; her Myers-Briggs personality type is INTJ. Anika lives in a small town in BC, Canada with her husband and their two girls.Each month we want...
How Billie Miles Gains Confidence Through Daily Art Practice
Artist SpotlightAfter retiring from 40 years in the technology industry, Billie is a late bloomer. Art journaling has become a means to explore her inner and outer life, and have crazy fun!How do you live a creative life? I try to do art every day. I...
Janet Joehlin Honors Her Inner Artist by Creating Without Expectation
Artist SpotlightJanet knew at 12 years old she was going to be an artist but didn’t really achieve that goal till much later in life. Better late than never.How do you live a creative life? I spend all my time in my art studio. I have this fever in me...
How Sera Bourne worked through her grief by making carefree art
Artist SpotlightSera Bourne is an art journaler living in Alaska. She loves to get messy with her art supplies and make people laugh. Her ultimate goal is to rule the world and have ALL the dogs!Sera answered her questions through video! Hi my...
How Holly Janssen Uses Art Journaling to Find Her Voice
Artist SpotlightMom, wife, and middle school teacher, Holly Janssen recently rediscovered her love of creating mixed media art. Art journaling has brought her hours of joy, meditation, and friendship. Get Messy is the best community of unconditional...
Practicing Art Emboldens Talia Carbis to Create Without Pressure
Artist SpotlightTalia is an artist from Brisbane, Australia. She is a wife and mum to 3 kids, just trying to fit creativity into her life wherever it fits! Talia explores topics like Judaism, and mental health through her art and enjoys making YouTube...
Being an Artist Inspires Phill Rushmere to Approach Life Creatively
Artist SpotlightPhill is the 30 (something) year old INFJ from Norwich on the East Coast of England. By day a Compliance & Quality Manager and maker extraordinaire by night. A lover of bookbinding, hand lettering and of course art journaling. His...
Charlotte Erichsen Expresses Playful & Political Sides Through Art Journaling
Artist SpotlightLotte lives in Munich and loves to draw and paint the city, landscapes and animals. Her approach to art journaling is playful and sometimes political. When she is not creating, she likes to read books or newspaper or learn more hula...
How Sofia Lachkar Explores Herself and Her World Through Creative Process
Artist SpotlightSofia is a writer, art journaler, feminist activist and entrepreneur. She strives to live a meaningful life, by putting art at the center of her life and sharing her passion with other people. She loves to challenge herself...
How Kristin Tweedale Finds Creative Inspiration Through Community
Artist SpotlightKristin is a feminist scrapbooker, writer, and podcaster living in East Lansing, Michigan. Originally from the NYC suburbs, you’ll often find her perfecting her pizza recipe, or checking on the heirloom tomatoes in the garden. You can...
How Jenny Sehlstedt Grows as an Artist by Leaning on the Community
Artist SpotlightJenny lives on the West Coast of Sweden with her husband. When she isn’t spending time in her very messy studio or at work, she sings in a church choir and loves reading speculative fiction, such as, but not limited to, Sci-Fi and...
Michelle Johnson Views Her Art as Extensions of Herself
Artist SpotlightLoud laugher, lover of cheese, coffee and bubbly water drinker. Momma to two assy doggos and one assy Guinea pig. Happily married to a dreamy, rad dude for 20+ years. She dislikes beets, lime Jell-o, and puzzles.How do you live a...
How Emma Szostok leans on community for inspiration when she is stuck
Artist SpotlightEmma is a person who puts her heart and soul into the artwork she creates. She like to create using bold colours and feeling the paint with her hands instead of a brush. ‘Her heart is as Black as night but her Soul is as colourful as a...
Why Creating Every Day Makes Suzanne Earley Feel Like Herself
Artist SpotlightSuzanne lives in a small town in Iowa and spends her days as a multi-tasking wizard (aka school secretary). At night, she binge watches TV shows, makes art, knits, embroiders, reads, and writes. Her twin boys are off at college and her...
How Julia Bethmann disregards the idea that all art must fit a certain aesthetic
Artist SpotlightJulia is a mixed media artists who works in collage, printmaking, painting, and drawing to express her personal vision that we are all connected through spirit and nature. Julia loves experimentation and layering color, materials, and...
The Get Messy Community enriches Rose Sheridan’s life through more than art
Artist SpotlightRose is a mama to a 5 year old human and an 11 year old Jack Russell. She is a lecturer in psychology and child development and is a lifelong learner. Art is her magic.How do you live a creative life? I have a 5 year old daughter, so...
Anouk Karssen uses art journaling to process her emotions
Artist SpotlightAnouk Karrsen is an all round creative from the Netherlands. For her, art journaling is a way to escape real life, and express her emotions.How do you live a creative life? I’ve always been creative, it really is a part of me. When I...
Melanie Miles feels fulfilled by enjoying the creative process
Artist SpotlightMelanie is a designer and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. She has a multidiscipline artistic background having studied and worked in the design industry for over 15 years. In this time, she has worked on a broad range of...
How Pietro Cataudella uses creative process to appreciate simple beauty
Artist SpotlightPietro’s project, @CityLiveSketch, was born in 2014 when he decided to create different and creative contents to share with his friends and followers. He combined his passions for drawing and photography, creating “postcards 2.0” of...
Ronni Nicole gives herself the freedom to evolve through art
Artist SpotlightRonni creates what she loves to call “Floral Inspired Fossils”. For as long as she can remember, she’s always had a connection with flowers. She’s consumed by all the little details within their design. Even from a young child she can...
How Rebecca Johnstone Finds Perspective Through Art Journaling
Artist SpotlightRebecca Johnstone, aka Dainty Dora, is a Surface Pattern Designer and illustrator with a First Class honours degree in Textiles & Fashion Design Management specialising in Print, from Heriot-Watt University in Galashiels (formerly...
How art journaling helped Melody Willoughby through life changing events
Artist SpotlightMelody is a fifty something wife, mother and grandmother. She is from Arkansas and loves those razorbacks!! She has a wonderful family including a very loving husband.WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE STORY? My story really began in 1996. My...
Jaimee Ulmer uses art journaling to release the pressure
Artist SpotlightWHY DO YOU LOVE ART JOURNALING? I love art journaling for the opportunity of processing, working through, and celebrating my life journey in a tangible, creative way. “Art it Out” definitely works for me! I also appreciate the...
How Kate Meduna finds inspiration in her everyday surroundings
Artist SpotlightKate is from Moscow and loves crafty things.Why do you love art journaling? I love the creative process of making something. It’s the time I dedicate only to myself. I can do whatever I want and I won’t be judged. Most of all it is...
How art journaling was the missing puzzle piece that completes Sarah Maddox
Artist SpotlightWhy do you love art journaling and how has it impacted your life? Art journaling has completed me. For me it is the missing piece of the jigsaw. I have been creative all my life but have never before found the perfect creative outlet....
Ep 004: Find something deeper with art journaling
Messy ConversationsMessy Conversations is a series of interviews with amazing art journalers who share their favorite tools, tips and why they art journal. You’ll get an exclusive peek into their art journal pages and their process. We have a top...
How Lauren Pearl uses art journaling as a path to freedom
Artist SpotlightWhy do you love art journaling? I love art journaling because it gives me a chance to focus my mind somewhere else. I am one of those annoying people that have a million thoughts bubbling away in my brain and if you know me and have...
How Art Journaling Helps Jen Morris Keep Her Mind Distraction Free
Artist SpotlightMulti-crafting mama of twoWhy do you love art journaling? Art Journaling lets me take a few precious minutes to do a little creative playing just for me. I love that it can be a private or a public thing, no pressure! I don’t have to...
How Gisele Chastain Uses Art to Unwind Her Innermost Thoughts
Artist SpotlightLucky wife. Mama bear to 2. Boy mom. Daily life. Homeschooler. Coffee. Lover of all things creative.Why do you love art journaling? The thing I love most about art journaling is how the process of creating allows my mind to work...
Jennifer Bilton Finds Her Voice Through Art Journaling
Artist SpotlightWhy do you love art journaling? Art journaling has become a way to document my feelings and thoughts, to combine my passion for words with my passion for art, and to explore art techniques & mediums that excite me. For me, art...
How Amy Schubert and Kam Altar Use Art as a Release from Their Type-A Tendencies
Artist SpotlightWhy do you love art journaling? Amy: I tend to follow a pretty structured, controlled, basic pattern in the rest of my life. I’m very type-A oldest child. I love that art journaling is not that. It’s my excuse to go. To not worry about...
How Art Serves as a Form of Worship and Prayer for Cheryl Angelini
Artist SpotlightWhy do you love art journaling? It's my way to be creative. I love trying different techniques and mediums. It's even helped me with my anxiety. Describe your art journaling process? I start with a picture that inspires me. Sometimes...
How simply creating art makes Sharon Nullmeyer an artist
Artist SpotlightSharon is a painter, pattern maker, flower picker, and collager! She loves things from time gone by, books, peonies, neons, poster colors, and hot sauce.Why do you love art journaling? I really do love art journaling. I stumbled into...
How embracing the mess of art journaling makes Lauren Caterson feel grounded
Artist SpotlightWhy do you love art journaling? I love it because it feels good to have something that’s just about the process - the results really don’t matter at all. It’s very grounding for me. Since joining Get Messy I’ve been using my art...
Jodie York feels free from rules and expectations in her art journey
Artist SpotlightWhy do you love art journaling? I love art journaling for the creative freedom. Full stop. This is where I try out new techniques and products. This is where I relax creatively with no plans, no expectations, and no rules. Describe...
How Katie Jones avoids overthinking by making art
Artist SpotlightWhy do you love art journaling? It's just fun! I've always admired great scrapbook pages but felt a little restricted by the style, Art Journaling means freedom to create and just throw anything down on a page and make it art. Describe...
How art frees Anke Kramer and brings more fun to her life
Artist SpotlightI love beautiful things and like to be creative. In addition to painting and stamping, I also discovered photography and scraping for myself. I want to give all these things a space here and share them with others.Why do you love art...
Rory Grimes is all about normalising the messy middle
Interview with art journal artist, Rory Grimes.
Amanda Trought is encouraged and stretched from creative community
Interview with Amanda Trought about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
Mou Saha’s art journal is an intimate friend
Interview with Mou Saha about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
Felicitas Mayer explores creative freedom, calms her mind and grounds herself with art journaling
Interview with Felicitas Mayer about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
Kiala Givehand stays inspired, intentional, and in alignment through creative community
Interview with Kiala Givehand about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
Brooke Gorrell-Beaudoin makes the heaviness of the real world feel a little bit lighter through art journaling
Interview with art journal artist, Brooke Gorrell-Beaudoin.
Barbara Martin uses art journaling to express her feelings
Interview with art journal artist, Barbara Martin.
Risa Iwasaki Culbertson stays inspired, accountable, and curious
Interview with Risa Iwasaki Culbertson about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
All of Tammy Murdock flows into her journals
Interview with Tammy Murdock about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
Kay Losey’s creative practice provides the left brain with a much-needed break while the right brain enjoys itself making
Interview with art journal artist, Kay Losey.
Traci Taylor’s heart is bursting all over her journal pages and out into the world
Interview with art journal artist, Traci Taylor.
Noor Unnahar creates freely, without the boundaries of perfection
Interview with Noor Unnahar about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
Tamara Egem practices self-love in her art journals
Interview with Tamara Egem about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
Cindy Gilstrap finds magic in creative flow
Interview with art journal artist, Cindy Gilstrap.
Shannon Yates makes art that is not about perfection; but rather about self-expression
Interview with art journal artist, Shannon Yates.
Arlyna embraces the messy middle
Interview with Arlyna about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
Cathy Nichols follows joy in her journal
Interview with Cathy Nichols about art journaling, creative practices, advice, and what to do in a creative rut. Take a peek into the art, and heart of your new favourite artist…
Janet Joehlin makes good art, bad art, ugly art
Interview with art journal artist, Janet Joehlin.
Flo untangles her heart through art journaling
Interview with art journal artist, Flo (@Flo_HereThere).
Shilpa Nagaonkar forgets everything when she makes art and her hands are messy with paint
Interview with art journal artist, Shilpa Nagaonkar.